Report on NYC Street Vendors

“The Street Vendor Project released a report that demonstrates that NYC vendors are tax-paying entrepreneurs who, despite their hard work, struggle below the poverty line due to harassment and over-regulation. As everyone knows, some of the biggest businesses in NYC got their start as pushcarts on the Lower East Side. Sadly, those kinds of success stories are virtually unimaginable today. The report, “Peddling Uphill,” lists policy recommendations that would improve economic opportunity for our city’s smallest of small businesses: for example, revoking the $1,000 fines for minor violations, opening up more space for vendors, and providing language access at the court where vending tickets are heard.”

Report on NYC Street Vendors was last modified: March 6th, 2012 by ksalay@pps.org

street vendor videoThe Street Vendor Project disctibuted this 6 minute video that documents the kind of harassment street vendors deal with from building managers, business owners, and the police – even if they aren’t brekaing any laws!

From the Street Vendor Project:

“Monica Lee came to us in August looking for help finding a place to sell her fruit smoothies and bubble tea. Monica had been successful working at street fairs the past 2 summers, but she wanted to operate her business every day. She had spent months getting her food vendors’ license, taking the health department class, and finding a permit for her custom-made pushcart. But everywhere she tried to work, someone would drive her away.

We hear about this kind of harassment every day, but rarely are we standing by with a video camera. Luckily, Monica vends right near our office, so we captured some of her encounters with the building manager, security guards, store owners and police who hassled her for two weeks before she was finally victorious.”